Prince Charles had planned to burn a pile of clothes to demonstrate the fire
retardant properties of wool over synthetics, but the walkout forced him to
abandon the plan

Prince Charles was said to be fuming after a firefighters' strike meant he had to abandon a publicity stunt to burn a pile of clothes and the Fire Commissioner was forced to cancel his appearance.

Clarence House had built a special fireproof stage for the show, which had been scheduled to mark the fifth anniversary of the Campaign for Wool, of which Charles is patron.

But plans to demonstrate the difference between wool and synthetics when they are burned were cancelled over safety concerns, so the Prince instead buried two pullovers – one wool and one man-made – to show how they decompose.

The prince was supposed to be joined at the event by Ron Dobson, the London Fire Brigade Commissioner, but the fire chief had to cancel in order to focus on dealing with the walkout.

Staff at Clarence House are understood to be very annoyed over the episode.